Exams!!! Was it for LIFE or for my MBA???

My first semester MBA exam was the best exam I have ever attended!!! I would like to start off with a confession. I was deeply engrossed with “myself”… that I didn’t even recognize the flaw that’s causing immense tension in my inner self. I was surprised to find that this major flaw composed of two things.

•  Need to seek the approval of others in terms of appreciation and being considered

superior.

•  Comparing my gifts and talents with others.

These are some of the basic things in human nature, but you would be surprised to know the effect of all these traits on your inner self and your spiritual life. There should be nothing in this world that should hinder our relationship with God. Sad to say that these things do hinder our relationship with our creator and spoil our healthy inner life.

However, the Lord is gracious enough to teach us His truths which enlighten us about our flaws IF ONLY  WE ARE WILLING TO OPEN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO BE RECEPTIVE TO HIS VOICE. He is a gentle man! He wouldn’t interfere in the areas that we don’t allow Him. What a Blessing to allow the Spirit of our Lord to come inside of us to convict us and to sanctify us!

My exams started off on 10th of Jan 2011. I was having a troubled spirit even before a week. I realized that something is not right. The grace of my Lord showed me that I am trying to find an identity as a “brilliant student” than “His Child”. I was scared of loosing the image that people had about me (so called “brainy” girl). I wanted this image regardless of anything. Often I found myself struggling to get the best out of me and to make both ends meet with my own strength.

God expects us to live by His love and grace not by our “overconfidence”  on human abilities. I failed to realize this for a very long time. Thanks be to God who begins a good work and finishes it!

When I realized my flaw and started praying about getting rid of it. God revealed more and more truths about Him. I began to hear Him more clearly than ever. I realized that His grace is all that is needed for me. There is no need for me to strive with my strengths but to depend on Him even for my smallest need. I learned to give Glory to Him in both success and failure. I lowered my self-expectations which led to a lot of emotional disturbances. I accepted myself and let the Lord work in me. I asked the Lord to teach me my subjects, give me His strength to cope with the stress, give me the memory to remember and to even reach the exam hall and write exam.

What a great peace it is to depend on Him for even our smallest need!!! He is so much more than what we expect Him to be. He prompted me about the questions that would be asked in the exam. He delivered me out of the tension and lightened the weight of my heart.

After having tasted Him like never before I have decided to follow Him even more closely. He has taught me lessons for life through this exam season!

My thought process has undergone a drastic change for my best. I am not going to be

apprehensive about my results because I know that I have learned something for life than for exams to Glorify His name. I am so excited about this new spiritual experience and to live by His anointing even when I am out in the world.

Life is a lot more than exams!!! It’s all about learning to live for His Glory by His power and strength than leaning on our own understanding.

We are more than stupids (sorry for being offensive), but the truth is this:  THE ESSENCE OF LIVING IN HIS ANOINTING IS TO SEEK HIM IN ALL THAT WE DO, LEARN TO DO EVERYTHING FOR HIS GLORY,  AND REALIZE HIS HAND IN ALL THAT WE DO.   THEN WE NO LONGER NEED TO DEPEND ON OUR OWN “SELF” .  To His name be all glory.  Amen!!

ENJOY LIFE!

Let’s enjoy life to the fullest..!!! 

As Christians we are expected to live a life that is far different from the worldly lot. We will be noticed for the slightest mistake we make.  The Lord has asked us to choose the narrow way to eternal life (Mt.7:14).  That would mean that we live a closed life that does not include the so called ‘fun filled’ activities which give petty pleasures of this world.  Consequently we find that some get frustrated. They don’t realize the true meaning of “ABUNDANT LIFE” that Jesus has promised to give us (Jn.10:10). The life that they search for outside the spiritual realm will never get them to a place where they will be content, satisfied, peaceful and happy. They are searching for fulfillment outside the place where it can be found.  

Practicality of abundant life 

All through the Bible we find references that would promise us a life that we are looking for. But why is it so difficult for us to have it al? The answer for this question is that WE ARE NOT READY TO WORK TOWARDS IT.   In John 10:10 Jesus says “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have more abundantly”.  The only condition is that we should be ready to apply Christ practically in all possible areas of our life. We must make use of our Lord in every walk of our life to enjoy this abundant life that He has promised to give us. A person who has abundant life will live a life free from worries, anxiety, tension, foul talks, jealousy and all the negative emotions that the worldly people would have. Isn’t it wonderful to have a life like this?  The biggest gift is that this life is highly within our reach.  

Reaching the abundant life… 

Here are some practical steps to enjoy your life with all its abundance unlike the worldly people. The success rate of these steps will depend on your sincerely to follow them.  

• Always remember that GOD is within our reach. We have the gift to access Him anytime and every time we want to. Hence you are expected to draw His strength to enjoy the abundant life (Phil.4:5).
• Ask GOD to take complete control over you without you reserving a single area of your life for yourself (2Cor.8:5).
• Acknowledge the emotions, acts and feelings that are not according to the will of God and ask God to remove them. Your conscious efforts are required in identifying these areas, praying honestly for the strength to overcome it, being in constant fellowship with God (2Cor.10:5).
• Even in the smallest act you do, make sure that it pleases your creator. This will enable you to keep HIM in your mind all the while (1Cor.10:31).
• Don’t compare the worldly pleasure to the spiritual pleasure. They are highly incomparable. If you do so, you are degrading your Creator and exalting the world (1Cor.4:18).
• Rejoicing in Him all the time…Thanking Him… for all that He has done in your past and present will make you TRUST Him for your future (1The.5:17-18).
• Encourage one another in Christ. Everyone is called to proclaim the glory of God which is a general call. Make efforts to share the gospel at work/college. This not only helps others but strengthens you in the Lord as well(Heb.10:25).   God bless!!

Our First Love!

Is your first love serving its purpose? 

“Fist love”:   What comes to your mind when I say “first love”? Well,  I use to think about people, fame, my own talents, money, enjoyment through entertainment, etc.  Most of us even now think of these things as our first love at some point or the other. But let me just stop you to think as to whether your first love (what ever it may be) has given you satisfaction, joy to live and share, security, a sense of fulfillment, realization of your true inner self, compatibility with your own self and others which is the purpose of our first love. The answer is “No” Why is it “No”?  It is because, all the things that I had mentioned above are temporary and fade away with time. For example if we rely on our own talents, a simple road accident will hamper us from executing it.  If our love is money then no matter how much we have it, we are still not satisfied.  If our first love is people, we are not sure what they will be tomorrow. I guess that makes sense! 

The place where we go wrong… 

We as humans tend to trust only the things that we see. Hence we place our love on all tangible things that fade away. But have we ever realized that our soul and spirit which is unseen hold greater significance than those visible things?  The Bible clearly tells us that  “ while we look NOT at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.  (2Co 4:18)

 

 Unfortunately many do not see it this way. So this is the place where we go wrong.   We make the biggest mistake by making a choice to love things that are not worth our precious love. 

SOLUTION : REPLACE YOUR FIRST LOVE WITH JESUS 

Jesus is trustworthy for all eternity (Heb.13:8). If we make Him our first love we can find security, joy, fulfillment and what not? Our love for Him defines our spiritual standards. If you are a Christian who is not at peace with yourself and others, it means that you lack this first love for Jesus in your life. Allow God to work in your life by giving Him the priority that He deserves the most. For all that He has done for us, we can only love Him in return. If we fail in doing this simple act of loving Him first, we are not proving to be His children. I wish all of us to be His children under His wings of love and life. After all, the greatest commandment is “and you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”  (Mar 12:30). 

There is a shattering verse in the Bible.  “Whoever does not love the Lord—a curse on him! Marana tha—Our Lord, come” (1Co 16:22)!   May that not happen to any one who reads this!    May the Lord give us grace to make Him our first love.  To His name be all glory.  Amen.

REPENTANCE = DO NOT REPEAT!

LET US TRULY TURN AROUND FROM OUR SINFUL WAYS ….

Repentance is the first step towards salvation. In fact, the very first recorded message of Jesus our Lord was “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk.1:15). But the term is so much in use that the true meaning of it is truly not known today and only a dissolved concept hangs around us. Christians have mastered the surface meaning of repentance but not the inner meaning. In reality your repentance has to make a difference in the way you live, else it doesn’t serve the purpose.  Bible scholars tell us that the literal meaning of the original words for repentance in the Bible is ‘to turn around’ or ‘to return’. 

God accepted repentance 

God is an ever-loving God. But we just can’t take this for granted and say that He is “OK” with all that we do. God wants us to change from what we are to what He is like. In this change process repentance has a major say. Repentance involves confessing our past sins and also making a wow that those sins will not be repeated henceforth. If we decide to turn our old ways and live a God-pleasing life, repentance is accepted to Jesus. Repentance without tangible hearty change will result is deceiving ourselves.   That is cheating ourselves.  The message of John the Baptist was, “Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance” (Mat 3:8).

 Practical steps to reach God meant repentance… 

• Have a strong determination to change your behavior (Ps.37:4).
• Admit that you are wrong and ASK God’s help to acknowledge change (Pro.28:13).
• Avoid all circumstances that would make you repeat those old sins.  Be a Joseph and run away from Potiphar’s house (Gen.39:12).
• Create a spiritual journal that would help u keep track of your progress (Ps.90:12).
• If you fall, make sure you rise one step higher by HIS grace (Js.4:8).
• Start thinking the way God wants you to think.  If you don’t know the way He thinks… please read the bible. (Isa.55:8).
• Don’t let your thinking go back to those sins. Avoid thinking about them (2Cor.10:5).
• If you still can’t resist, pray in your mind and ask God for help (Ps.50:15).
• Be sin-conscious and sin- sensitive.  This is possible by daily walking in the light (1Jn. 1:7).

God bless!!

 

Be Truly Successful!

 Success has several definitions. People define success as abundant wealth, fame, social recognition, successful family life, ability to outdo others, breaking records, etc. World has materialized the very meaning of success by giving absolutely no importance to one’s mental satisfaction and fulfillment. We can find highly successful professionals who are still in search of love, care and some emotional solace. Most of the times we ourselves do it. Don’t we???

Meaning of success

It’s shocking to know that many successful people feel empty deep within and lonely; often depressed if a slight damage happens to their reputation. But then, if we deeply think about the real essence of success, sadly most of them have not understood it and thereby don’t achieve it. You may stop and ask me what the meaning of success is. Well, I am more than happy to share it with you, my readers. The meaning of success is nothing but a sense of inner joy and fulfillment that is irrespective of outside circumstances. It’s a state of mind where you are comfortable with yourself for the work you have done.

 Who can be truly successful?

The answer is very very simple. They are people who do every thing as if they do it for GOD. Such people who worship God with their work/vocation are truly meant to be successful both outwardly and in their inner state of their mind.

They are characterized as follows:

1. Their dependence on all external world reduces and their only motive is to please GOD in all possible ways.
2. Their spiritual life rocks with Jesus all the time irrespective of what the world offers them.
3. They spread Christ while working and even otherwise.
4. Prayer is the most integral part of their daily activities and various initiations.
5. Follows the will of God and the purpose of God in all that they do.
6. Cheerful giver with regards to tithes and offerings.
7. First priority is GOD, no matter what. Loves GOD more than money and fame.
8. Honesty, sincerity and integrity are the substance of their work.
9.  Obeys the authority and respects the same.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you… so work had by Keeping GOD first.. to meet success in its real sense.. BE TRULY SUCCESSFUL..!!!!

SAY BYE TO LONELINESS

Get rid of your loneliness…!!! 

As love is in the air, loneliness is also all around and within us. The issue of loneliness has become a chronic disease among young adults. Everyone is hanging out with each other, but at the end of the day they are not satisfied with what they have done and are constantly worried about how to make things better all by themselves which is next to impossible. One of the most obvious mistakes that everyone makes is that they always depend on the outside world for their happiness and joy. They fail to realize that the outside world can never fill their deepest craving for the joy however it does promises some temporary joy that satisfies on temporary basis leaving behind a hunger that can never get quenched. 

The one and only answer for your loneliness  

Well,  be prepared to take in a new relationship that is beyond your expectations and imagination. Many Christians treat Jesus as an unreachable entity. But this is not true. The fact is that Jesus is accessible anytime by everyone who calls upon His name with trust in their hearts. We can have an intimate relationship with Jesus if we wish to. We can experience His presence and enjoy it like no other relationship. He is within our reach. His presence is the place of pleasure that surpasses all types of worldly pleasures. This can be experienced only when our hearts are prepared to involve Jesus in our everyday life, in all that we do and all that we are. If we are prepared to give more of our heart to Him, He will heal our past and give us a brand new life that is far better than before. Then our worst days with Jesus will taste better than our best days without Jesus!  

Have an authentic source of happiness 

Jesus is the only source of a relationship that can never break. All worldly relationships involve a high degree of uncertainty. You never know what is going to happen to the metal set up of people. No one is reliable. But Jesus has proved Himself time and again!  

All u need to do when you r lonely 

• Get a place where no one is present. Start talking to Jesus as if He is next to you. Remember that you r talking to the Man who has created history.   He can hear you as He is alive
• Open your Bible randomly and read the first 2 pages. Most of the times God uses these instances to talk to us
• Write a dairy where you can write about your spiritual progress, experiences and the ways through which God spoke to you.
• Make peace with yourself. You cannot make effective utilization of your loneliness unless you are comfortable with yourself. Spend time with yourself to solve all your discrepancies.

Think about how to make Jesus more and more visible through your actions

BE INDEPENDENT

ACHIEVE INDEPENDENCE BY BEING DEPENDENT!! 

God created man as dependent beings.  We depend on the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we take for our physical existence.  Likewise we depend on the society around us for our mental well being.  But our ultimate DEPENDENCY must be on God who made us and that makes us truly independent being able to do the things which we are meant to do.

Most of the countries are now independent. We find many men and women who are highly independent in terms of finances, relationships and life style. They define their own boundaries and some feel that there are no necessities for boundaries in life. In today’s world people feel free to do anything, even if it is not lawful, as they can escape the eyes of law through various means.

BUT ARE WE REALLY INDEPENDENT….?

HAVE WE UNDERSTOOD THE TRUE MEANING OF INDEPENDENCE…..? 

The bitter fact and answer to both of these questions is a big “NO”!

I would define independence as “the state of mind that is filled with peace, joy, unconditional love and purpose irrespective of what the world has/ is / will be offering us. Independence in its true sense consists of emotional balance for mutual coexistence among humans that is highly absent these days.

Today’s so called “independent people” are strangled with high levels of unstable mind, insecurity, emotional illness, loveless ness, addictions, chronic depression, breathtaking stress, etc. They are completely dependent on money, ever changing people, temporary pleasures. The hard fact is NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE RELIABLE AND WORTHY OF YOUR DEPENDENCY…!!!

The only person whom you can rely on for time and for eternity is JESUS. If we have the habit of depending on Him in every walk of life… we will LEARN TO CONQUER the world,  thereby achieve independence that is far more satisfying that what the world can offer.

How happy you would be if you are at peace with yourself and others!

Love yourself for what God has created you to be… rejoicing in your unique identity… being content and satisfied unlike others……..??????

Strategies to achieve true independence!

        Trust GOD without reservation by knowing His strength and power that is capable of achieving the impossible (Pro.3:5; Isa.40:31).

        Set your standards according to what pleases God and work accordingly (Rom.12:2).

        Don’t compare yourself with the worldly people… proclaim your identity as the child of God (Phi.3:20).

        Show your present and past blessings to yourself and then to others to prove Christ (Rev.19:10b).

        Know that everything that the world is ready to offer you amounts to NOTHING (1Jn.2:17).

        Come in terms with Jesus with respect to your priority. Confess your dependency on Him repeated… this is not to remind Him but U…(Pro.3:6)!

        Acknowledge the specialty of spiritual blessings over the materialistic blessings. Desire more of spiritual blessings (1Cor.12:31

God bless!!

GET COMMITTED

Commitment – the secret of successful Christian life!

Commitment is the word that implies absolute surrender. In a negative sense it  implies bondage and loss of freedom. But in spiritual realm it is the key to enjoy the true inner joy and freedom during every minute of our lives. His grace to nurture our commitment is sufficient for us to live a life filled with His presence, which should be the main objective of a healthy Christian life. Even 98% of commitment is not good enough. He deserves our 100% commitment…!

Reason behind commitment…

Many people have a wrong concept that if we trust God and commit our lives to Him there will be no more problems in our lives.  This is not what the Bible teaches!  We should not commit our lives to God, expecting Him to make life a bed of roses. Commitment is not a price that we pay to have the best life with all our materialistic and selfish desires satisfied. The only reason for our commitment should be our pure love for our Lord. Jesus committed his life not for His well being but for us. He had the highest level of commitment but yet had the hardest life to live out. This doesn’t mean to say that we should not expect any good things to flow out of our commitment to our Lord. It simply means that we should be ready to accept any thing in life which will bring glory to His name.

Implications of Non-commitment…

Many people who are in Christ are committed to Christ… but not fully so. This means that they have reserved a part of their lives for themselves. Reserving a few areas of our life implies that we know what is best for you on all these reserved areas!  We also want to prove our Lordship in our own lives. This is nothing but worshipping ourselves which is idolatry!  In doing this we are treating ourselves to be God even without our knowledge!! As Christians we know that we ought to give first place to God, no matter what. We have to acknowledge the fact that He knows what is best for us; something we never can know by ourselves.

Take time to commit…

Loving God with all our mind, soul, spirit and strength should be our life style (MK.12:30). Giving to God most of ourselves, our time, thoughts, energy, resources and talents, for His glory is what this verse means. Cultivating the above mentioned by devoting our time for the Lord will open our heart towards commitment. Spending time with Him renews our spirit where we enter into depth of relationship with the Lord (Isa.40:31). He will give us the grace to exercise this 100% commitment, which is otherwise not possible by our own efforts.

Outcome of commitment…

Commitment to the Lord enables Him to have His ways in our lives. We will be able to accomplish His plan and purpose in our lives. Above all we can make our Creator smile when we commit to Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. That is the highest achievement in our lives!  Then, and only then we would have reached the purpose for which He made us!!

Sin Matters!

When u commit sin… you are actually crucifying Jesus agin(Heb.6:6)!

To many people the word ‘sin’ is a big allergy! We must remember that the word ‘sin’ in the Bible is a technical word just like the word ‘virus’ in a computer text book which has special meaning.  Sin in the Bible simply means ‘mistakes’ and it stands for spiritual and moral mistakes in the life of any one.  We are all very much aware of the fact that Jesus came to this world to save us from the wages of sin. He is our Saviour. He has a wonderful heart to forgive and His mercies are new everyday. Does this mean that we can sin as we like, knowing that Jesus will forgive us no matter what we do?   Does this give us the authority to live a life which is unpleasing in the sight of our creator? The answer to both of my questions is an  absolute  ”NO”!

The route for further crucifixions is SIN…!

In our spiritual walk we share a relationship with Jesus. He lives with us and takes constant notice of all that we are doing. He watches us more than we do ourselves.  Sometimes we may not be aware of things that we do but HE does. In short every sin that we commit is being noticed by Him.   Each time we sin, there is a barrier that is being created between us and Jesus disabling us to have meanigful communion with Him.   SIN also makes His heart grieve.  He feels the depth of pain when we who are His people commit sin. Jesus underwent heights of tortures both mentally and physically for us to have life eternal. How can we then give Him pain again and again?  Each time we sin we give the same pain, depression and hurt to Jesus as he had undergone on the cross 2000 years ago.   Life has to be lived with the sole objective of making Him smile and fulfill His plan and purpose.

Ways to control sin.

• Be in constant companionship and communion with the Holy Spirit 1Thes.5:17).
• Read His word and meditate upon it so that everytime you are tempted to sin, His word would convict you thereby strengthens  you against sin (Ps.119:11).
• Surrender yourself to the leading of the Lord in all that you do (Rom.12:1).
• Admit that you are not capable to live a sinless life all by yourself, ask god to give you the grace to lead a life that pleases Him (Gal.2:20).
• Be cautious all the while by knowing that the Lord is looking at us always  (Rom.2:16).

Rewards of not committing SIN

 Living a life without sin is actually possible purely by the grace of God. When Jesus led a sin free life and set himself as an example, it is also possible for us to practice sin free life. Jesus would rejoice when He sees our conscious efforts to make this possible. He rewards us with a life that is filled with the peace, joy and power over the things of this world (Jn.10:10).   He not only rewards us when we are on this earth but also gives us eternal life that is free from all miseries of this world.  Isn’t this good news? Our efforts are merely anything when compared to the rewards that we would be reaping when we live a life that is sin sensitive.

Mail for free counseling and Biblical assistance to jesuslovesyou.sapna@gmail.com..

I am always there to help you out. Hope to hear from you.

ANSWERS TO YOUR PROBLEMS!

DISAPPOINTMENTS ARE HIS APPOINTMENTS!!  GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO WORK IT OUT FOR YOU!!

“Christian life is a problematic life.”

  “Christian life is not an easy life.” 

These are some of the statements that we have heard N number of times.

 What I personally feel is, Christian life is the sweetest life that one can enjoy and it becomes sweeter when problems arise.

I would define problem as “an event that creates a platform for us to grow in the lord”.  How would you experience the glory and power of our Almighty Father if there is no platform for Him to work on?

Problems can either be created by US, OTHERS, OR SATAN…  AND GOD ALLOWS THEM IN OUR LIVES.`

What ever is the case may be we must always remember that

                             “WE ARE SAFE FOR ETERNITY”

 Isn’t it beautiful to see the power of God work to clear our problems? God mostly gives us problems to enhance our spiritual quality that would overcome the weakness of our flesh thereby filling our spiritual defficiency.  Isn’t it great to be corrected by our creator?

Christian life is not equal to problem free life.

But

Christian life is always equal to THE BEST LIFE in spite of troubles.

 Didn’t Jesus willingly take troubles all through His life for our welfare?

Didn’t Paul rejoice in the prison inspite of being severely wounded?

Is our problem bigger than that?

Mediating on our problems day and night will ruin our peace.  Instead of that, if we  meditate on His promises, rejoice  in His goodness, count His blessings and thank Him and, love Him more and more,  He will make us conquerors of fears, anxiety and all possible negative feelings.

This is the difference between us and the worldly people.

Thank God for your problems because they are going to make your life better and not bitter. You would be growing in the Lord as you see the power and love of God descending to work in your life.

Any Christian or even a worldly person can have faith when all things are favorable for Him. But the people who trust God in times of trouble are the real followers of Christ.

Lets not resign from the Lord when problems arise.

Some one said, “when God wants to do some thing wornderful, He begins with a difficulty.  But when God wants to do some thing MOST WONDERFUL,  HE BEGINS WITH AN IMPOSSIBILITY”. 

Are you facing an impossible situation now?  Let God handle it.  He will come out with some thing most wonderful!!  Praise be to His Holy Name!!

Lets be full time Christians!! God bless!!

24/7/365